Gauchos Travel to Malibu for a Showdown Against No. 6 Pepperdine

• Date with the Waves
No. 5 UCSB lost to Pepperdine, 7-6, at the Northern California Tournament earlier this year. The Gauchos were losing 5-1 at halftime before mounting a huge comeback to almost rally for the victory. After last week's loss to USC, expect the Gauchos to come out strong against the team right below them in the Collegiate Water Polo Association Top-20 Poll.

• For the Record
UCSB is 12-7 overall this season with a 1-2 record in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation matches. The Gauchos beat Long Beach State last weekend for their first conference win before dropping a tough match against USC. They maintain their No. 5 ranking in the polls, trailing only UCLA, USC, Stanford, and Cal.

• In the Cage Junior goalkeeper Myles Christian has continued his stellar play this season. He notched 13 saves against Long Beach State last weekend and is second in the conference with 10.73 saves per game average. Sophomore Jay Lovero isn't far behind, currently eighth in the conference with 8.00 saves per game.

• Offensive Strength
Sophomore Matt Gronow is tied for seventh in the MPSF with 34 total goals, which also leads the team. Four Gauchos scored at least two goals in their 10-6 win against Long Beach. Freshman Chase Racich has scored 24 goals this season, good enough for second on the team. Racich has shown flashes of brilliance early in his young career.

• Upcoming Action UCSB will return home next weekend to host a pair of MPSF games. The Gauchos will play No. 4 California on Saturday Nov. 5 and No. 7 Pacific on Sunday.